Water-closet attachment



T No. 752,321.

PAIENTED FEB. 16, 1904.v P. H. BACON. WATER CLOSET ATTACHMENT.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 7. 1903.

H0 MODEL.

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Patented February 16, 1904.

UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE.

PAUL HAROUTU'NE BACON, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

WATER-CLOSET ATTACHMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of "Letters Patent No. 752,321, dated February 16, 1904.

I Application filed. December 7, 1903. Serial No. 184,039. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PAUL HAROUTUNE BA- con, of New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Water- Closet Attachments; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the figures of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear,

and exact description of the same, and which and described in my prior patent, No. 737, 814:,

granted September 1, 1903, the object being to produce a simple, compact, and convenient means for raising and lowering the seat-cover and seat of a water-closet without touching 3 pression principle, as it is compressed when the hands to them.

With these ends in view my invention con wall 3, to which it may be secured in avariety .of ways.

As herein shown, its upper and lower ends are passed through vertical collars 4, in which they are secured by screws 5.

The said collars 1 are made integral with horizontal collars 6, receivingthe outer ends of studs 7, to which they are secured by screws 8. This construction provides for the.verti cal and lateral adjustment of the rod or post 2. The studs 7 are themselves removably secured by screws 9 in hubs 10, projecting for: wardly from disk-shaped plates 11, fastened directly to the wall by screws 12. As before-- explained, these means for supporting the rod 2 may be varied as found expedient. Upon the rod 2 I mount an upper sleeve 13 and a lower sleeve 14, the adjacent ends of which are oppositely cut away or halved, so as to pass by each other and form a joint, as shown in Fig. 1. The upper sleeve 13 is furnished at its'upper end with a handle 15, and has pivotally connected with its lower end a lifting-rod 16, the lower end of which is pivotally connected with a lifting-arm 17, secured tothe seat cover or lid 18 of the closet 19, which may be of any approved construction. The lower sleeve 14 is furnished with a handle 20, corresponding to the handle 15, and has pivotally connected with it a lifting-rod 21, the lower end of which is pivotally connected with the outer end of a lifting-arm 22, secured to the closet-seat 23.

To assist in lifting theseat 23 into its open position, as well as to cushion its descent from its open into its closed position, I employ a balance-spring 24;, encircling the lower end of the rod 2 and bearing at its upper end against the lower end of the lower sleeve 14 and at its lower end against a collar 25, mounted on the rod 2 and adjustable thereon by means ofa set-screw 26. This spring works on the coin the seat is down and exerts a constant eiforjt to lift it, which it is not powerful enough to ed on the rod 2 and secured in any desired position of adjustment thereon by means of a set-screw 29. This spring 27 acts as an extension-spring, being normally extended and contracting to lift the-seat cover or lid, which it is not powerful enough to do unassisted.- These balance-springs 24: and 27 may be left exposed or, if desired and preferably, they will be inclosed by telescoping tubes, the lower spring being inclosed by a tube 80, do pending from the lower sleeve 14 and enter ing a larger tube rising from the collar 25, while the upper spring is inclosed by a tube p 31, depending from the collar 28 and entering a larger tube 32, extending upward from the upper end of the sleeve 13. A short post 33, applied to the wall 3 and furnished with an elastic cushion 8 1, is provided for engage ment by the seat-cover 18 to prevent the same and the seat from being thrown too far back from their tilted open positions. The said balance-springs will assist the user of the device in lifting the seat-cover and seat into their open positions. will, however, be made heavy enough to normally stay closed despite the lifting action of the springs, except when the same are reinforced by the power supplied by the user 0 the attachment.

To lift the seat-cover 18 into its open position, the handle is grasped and the sliding upper sleeve 13 lifted, whereby the said seatcover is raised into its full-open position, in which it is held by passing beyond the per pendicular into an inclined or tilted position. During this opening movement oftheseatcover the user is assisted by the power of the spring 27 in contracting. To close the seatcover, the handle 15 is pulled down to start the seat-cover from its inclined open position and carry it forward beyond the perpendicular, after which it will be closed by gravity, but

without slamming, inasmuch as the closing of the seat-cover is eflected against the restraint of the spring 24, which is compressed as the seat-cover moves toward its closed position.

To lift the seat 23 into its open position, the seat-cover 18 may first be lifted by means of its handle 15 in the manner above described or both the seat and seat-cover may be lifted together by taking hold of the handle 20 and lifting the lower sliding sleeve 14 until both the seat and seat-cover are carried beyond the perpendicular. In this phase of the operation of the attachment the user will be assisted by the lifting power of the spring 27 in contracting and the lifting power of the spring 2 1 in expanding in case both seat-cover and seat are lifted at the same time and by the lifting power of the spring 2 1 alone in case the seatcover has already been opened and the seat is being lifted by itself. To close the seat, it must be started by pulling down upon the handle 20 until after it has been brought forward beyond the perpendicular, after which it will be closed by gravity acting against the power of the spring 2a, which will gradually be compressed as the seat approaches its closed position and the seat prevented from slammlng.

If. it is desired to close the seat and seatcover together, the handle'15 is pulled down upon, whereby the force thus applied will be transmitted through the sliding upper sleeve 13 to the sliding lower sleeve 14 until both the seat and seat-cover have passed the perpendicular, after which they will be closed by gravity against the resisting power of both The seat-cover and seat of the springs, one exerting its resistance by expansion and the other by contraction.

By proportioning the power of the springs 24 and 27 to the weight of the seat-cover and seat, as well as to the weight of the other moving parts of the attachment, the same may be balanced, as it were, and made to operate very easily and with very little expenditure of force and without any slamming.

It is apparent that in carrying out my invention some changes from the construction herein shown and described may be made. Thus, if desired,one,of the two springs might be located within the hollow rod or post,which in that case could be made shorter and would be slotted for connecting the inclosed spring with the lower sliding sleeve. This modification is thought to be so plain and obvious as not to require illustration or further description. I would therefore have it understood that I do not limit myself to such construction, but hold myself at liberty to make such changes therein as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with the seat and seatcover of a water-closet, of a vertical rod, two sliding sleeves mounted thereupon and adapted to be manually operated, means for connecting the said sleeves with the seat and seat-cover respectively, and balance-springs coactingwith the said sleeves.

2. The combination with the seat and seatcover of a water-closet, of a vertical rod, two sliding sleeves mounted. thereupon and furnished with handles for their manual operation, means for connecting the said sleeves with the seat and seat-cover respectively, and balance-springs coacting with the said sleeves.

3. The combination with the seat and seatcover of a water-closet, of a vertical rod, means for supporting the upper and lower ends of the said rod and adjusting it vertically and laterally, two sliding sleeves mounted thereupon and adapted to be manually operated, means for connecting the said sleeves with the seat and seat-cover respectively, and

balance-springs coacting with the said sleeves. I

of the said sleeves being' oppositely cut in half to permit them to fit together, means for connecting thesaid sleeves with the seat and seat-cover respectively, and balance-springs coacting with the said sleeves.

6. The combination with the seat and seatcover of a water-closet, of a vertical rod, two sliding sleeves mounted thereupon and adapted to be manually operated, means for con necting the said sleeves with the seat and seat-cover respectively, balance-springs oo- 'acting with the said sleeves, and telescoping tubes for inclosing the said springs.

7. The combination with the seat and seatoover'of a water-closet, of avertical rod, two sliding sleeves mounted thereupon and adapted to be manually operated, means for connecting the said sleeves with the seat and seat-coverwrespectively, a spring applied to the upper end of the rod and connected with the upper sleeve which, by its contraction it .assists to lift, and a spring encircling the lower end of the rod and connected with the upper sleeve which by its expansion it assists to lift.

' In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscrib- 2 5 ing witnesses.

PAUL HAROUTUNE BACON. Witnesses:

FREDERIO O. EARLE, CLARA L. WEED. 

